Learn Italian: Prendi il cavo nero e inseriscilo qui. - Take the black cable and insert it here.

Prendi il cavo nero e inseriscilo qui.

Take the black cable and insert it here.

Breakdown of Prendi il cavo nero e inseriscilo qui.

Questions & Answers about Prendi il cavo nero e inseriscilo qui.

Why is the word lo attached to the end of inserisci?

When giving an affirmative command to someone you call tu (an informal imperative), object pronouns like lo (it) must be attached directly to the end of the verb. So, inserisci (insert) and lo (it) become one single word: inseriscilo.

What exactly does the lo in inseriscilo refer to?

It takes the place of il cavo nero (the black cable). Because cavo is a masculine singular noun, we use the masculine singular pronoun lo to mean 'it'. If you were telling someone to insert a feminine object, like la batteria (the battery), you would use la and say inseriscila.

Why does the command form of inserire have -isc- in it?

Inserire (to insert) is one of those -ire verbs that needs the extra letters -isc- in its present tense forms, just like capire (to understand) or finire (to finish). For regular -ire verbs, the informal command is exactly the same as the present tense tu form, which is why it becomes inserisci.

Is prendi a command or just the present tense 'you take'?